CMC & NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE sign partnership agreement

Posted December 1, 2016

Technology Commercialization and Innovation Centre

VANCOUVER — The NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE and CMC Research Institutes today announced a partnership that will support teams competing in a $20M global competition to develop cutting-edge technologies that convert carbon dioxide emissions into high-value products.

Under the terms of the partnership, teams have the option of using facilities and experts at CMC Research Institute’s (CMC) technology commercialization centre as they develop and test their innovations. The centre, in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, is operated by CMC’s Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute (CCCI) and aims to accelerate the development and scale-up to commercial use of technologies that capture and convert carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources. The Institute provides state-of-the-art facilities and access to a global network of industry and academic researchers as well as partners who can provide engineering and fabrication support. Playing a key role in the CCCI is industry partner BC Research Inc.

“We are really excited to support of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE process. CCCI, NRG, COSIA and XPRIZE are tackling one of the most critical challenges of our time – that of moving our planet to a low carbon future. The technologies being developed will play a role in making that future a reality,” said Richard Adamson, President of CMC Research Institutes.

The Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute team will work with semi-finalists participating in Round 2 to design, build and test their technology at pilot scale (about 100 kg/day), using either real or simulated flue gas. Teams who move to Round 3, the Finals, will demonstrate their technologies at a commercial scale at one of the two Carbon XPRIZE test sites of the competition finals: the coal-fired Integrated Test Center in Gillette, Wyoming; or the natural-gas-fired Carbon Commercialization Centre in Southern Alberta. Teams will be scored on how much CO2 they convert and the net value of their products.

Goran Vlajnic, Executive Director of the Vancouver-based Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute, said the new partnership will contribute to the thriving clean tech sector in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and will strengthen Canada’s position as a global leader in the development of low carbon technologies. “We collaborate with government and academic researchers at both the provincial and federal levels and also draw on a global pool of experts. Carbon XPRIZE competitors will benefit by being able to use this diverse network of researchers who are at the forefront of low carbon technology development,” said Vlajnic.

The Carbon XPRIZE aims to incentivize the development of technologies to convert CO2, a key contributor to climate change, from power plants and industrial facilities into commercially valuable products. The semi-finalists are from six countries and represent innovative carbon capture and utilization technology companies, top-tier academic institutions, non-profits and new start-ups. The range of products being proposed by entrants is remarkable, from carbon nanotubes to methanol to toothpaste, paint, fish food and fertilizers.

CMC Research Institutes (CMC) designs, creates and operates clusters which catalyze and deliver multi-sector innovation to eliminate industrial greenhouse gas emissions, a critical part of Canada’s climate change solution. CMC and its business units, the Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute and the Containment and Monitoring Institute, offer a comprehensive range of programs and services to help de-risk investment decisions and accelerate technology development. For information: cmcghg.com

About the Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute

The Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute, an operating unit of CMC Research Institutes, is developing a unique model to accelerate innovation and commercialization in clean technologies and continuous industrial processes that significantly reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions. The new innovation model is based on a systems engineering approach that will drive synergy, improve process efficiency and reduce cost of novel carbon capture and conversion technologies. The Institute is headquartered at the Technology Commercialization and Innovation Centre in Richmond, B.C. For more: ccci.cmcghg.com